Photo album here. A week prior to the trek through Bear Basin to Seven Gables and Gemini I got the opportunity to climb Mount Julius Caesar. The easiest route to the summit is via the Pine Creek trailhead and entails passage through aptly-named Granite Park, with its lovely alpine tarns and lakes set amid clumps of…
Tag: sierra nevada
Seven Gables & Gemini via Bear Basin
I have looked over Bear Basin from several high peaks near the Sierra Crest and it always seemed like an inviting region I wanted to check out someday but it took until a few weeks ago to finally make my way into the basin. Seven Gables is the centerpiece feature of the region with its instantly…
Wildcat Point & Cold Mountain
Wildcat Point and Cold Mountain are two fairly remote and obscure destinations north of Tuolumne Meadows between the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and canyon country of northeast Yosemite. The scenery at both locations is stunning. Wildcat Point is to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne what Clouds Rest is to Tenaya Canyon; a lofty…
Pyramid Peak & Window Peak Lake
“Window Peak Lake” is a spectacular granite-encased lake tucked in underneath rugged Window Peak. While only a couple miles off the John Muir Trail, there is no trail or use paths to negotiate the 1,800 foot vertical ascent to the lake which is steep and rocky. The lake is also situated in one of the more remote…
Northeast Ridge of Arrow Peak & Bench Lake
Arrow Peak and Bench Lake have been on my list of places to visit for several years. The iconic view of Arrow Peak towering above Bench Lake was one of the first images of the High Sierra that inspired me to explore the range when I first moved to California. However, a relatively long approach…
The Roof of Yosemite Loop
The Roof of Yosemite Loop travels to the highest point in Yosemite National Park on 13,114 ft Mount Lyell and also includes ascents of 12,900 ft Mount Maclure (5th highest in the park) and 12,561 ft Mount Florence (9th highest in the park). Moreover, Lyell, Maclure and Florence are the three highest named summits in the incredibly…
2014 Adventure Run Ideas
It should come as no surprise that I have many ideas for adventure runs (see 2013 post here and 2012 post here). Listed below are several potential routes in the High Sierra, Trinity Alps and Coastal Region (mostly Big Sur/Ventana, but some Lost Coast). Many of these ideas are rather obscure, but the Ventana Wilderness and Sierra…
“Lion Loop” – Lion Rock and Triple Divide Peak
The “Lion Loop” is a spectacular large loop that I designed out of Wolverton utilizing the High Sierra Trail and the Tablelands to access one of the most remote corners of the High Sierra along the Great Western Divide. Lion Lake is the centerpiece feature of the route and is absolutely stunning with Triple Divide…
Desolation Seven Summits
Photos here. The Desolation Seven Summits loop offers the best showcase of the Desolation Wilderness I can think of and arguably contains the most rugged and impressive mountain scenery of any route in the Sierra Nevada north of Sonora Pass. The aesthetic loop climbs seven of the high points in the Desolation circumnavigating Lake Aloha…
Leor Pantilat's Adventures